The oil and gas sector is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada, with emissions continuing to rise despite industry promises and government commitments to reduce GHGs.
Our friends at West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL) are leading a public campaign urging the Government of Canada to strengthen its newly drafted Oil and Gas Sector GHG Emissions Cap Regulations by:
- Increasing the cap to align with national targets
- Closing loopholes that would allow emissions to exceed the cap
- Immediately implementing the cap rather than delaying it until 2030
This is a pivotal moment for climate action in Canada. By sending a letter, you can help hold the oil and gas sector and the Government of Canada to account.
Please join us in supporting this request for strong emissions caps on the oil and gas industry. Let’s help Canada meet its climate commitments, protect the environment and future generations from the impacts of climate change.
SIGN THE LETTER BY JANUARY 8, 2025
Background
At the COP 26 summit in 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada will impose a hard cap on emissions from the oil and gas sector in order to help the world hold the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In 2022 the federal government published the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP). The ERP acknowledged GHGs are the major cause of climate change, the oil and gas sector is the largest source of GHGs in Canada and that (while most other sectors are reducing emissions) oil and gas industry emissions continue to rise.
In 2024, Canada finally published its draft Oil and Gas Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cap Regulations. The public feedback period on the regulations is open until January 8, 2025.
Although these regulations represent a critical step toward ensuring Canada meets its climate targets, they are not strong enough. The draft regulations need immediate strengthening and public support if they are to be effective.
The draft regulations propose a cap-and-trade system that would require operators to report their emissions starting in 2026, which is significant. However, the cap would only start to take effect in 2030.
The proposed cap (only about 25% below 2005 levels) falls well short of Canada’s national target of a 40-45% reduction.
The regulations also include loopholes that could allow emissions to exceed the cap by as much as 20%, and do not require companies to pay for their emissions credits, which undermines the “polluter pays” principle.
These regulations represent a significant opportunity for meaningful climate action. Unsurprisingly, the oil and gas industry, along with certain provincial governments, are pushing back hard against it. Thus, it is crucial for the public to express support for stronger emissions cap regulations.
Sources
Modeling to Evaluate Contribution of Oil and Gas Emissions to Air Pollution
Tammy M. Thompson, Donald Shepherd, Andrea Stacy et al. 2017 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association
National quantifications of methane emissions from fuel exploitation using high resolution inversions of satellite observations
Lu Shen 2023 Nat Commun
Emissions of coalbed and natural gas methane from abandoned oil and gas wells in the United States
Amy Townsend‐Small, T. Ferrara, David Lyon et al. 2016 Geophysical Research Letters
Reconciling divergent estimates of oil and gas methane emissions
Daniel Zavala-Araiza, David Lyon, Ramón A. Alvarez et al. 2015 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.
A portrait of wellbore leakage in northeastern British Columbia, Canada
Joshua Wisen, Romain Chesnaux, John Werring et al. 2019 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.
Image
Aerial View of Oil Sands Facilities, near Fort McMurray, Alberta